Puns make good icebreakers because they’re witty and just a little bit silly. As a general rule, sexual language and references in a first message are no-nos.

Sure, making a pun is on the cheesy side, but so is pizza. Zoosk suggests something simple like: “What did the fish say when he swam into a wall? ” I personally enjoyed this gem of an opener courtesy of College Humor: “I just saw the best upsexy.” The other person can’t help but reply, “What’s upsexy? You could end up alienating your date before you can send a second message. Your message doesn’t have to be the most wonderfully worded introduction ever.

Sure, she gave him her dad’s number as well, but at least it’s something.

A solid joke can help you get your conversation off on the right foot — or at least up your odds of getting a response. We’ve collected 14 examples of funny online dating messages that tickle the funny bone and make a good impression.

pretty good, but you could send that message to pretty much anyone. Getting personal and showing you’ve actually read someone’s profile is a much more compelling way to elicit a response.

He seems fairly proud of his run-in with the cop, and it’s bold of him to tell such an incriminating story right off the bat. And hey, some girls are into bad boys who live on the edge, risking life and limb for their lady loves.

Dream3vil certainly makes an impression in his first message, and he even throws in a directive from a police officer to make it harder to refuse.